Australian has produced, or
is at least home to, some of the greatest promoters
of all time.

What
is it about Australia that is able to cultivate the
great promoters?

Ok,
firstly what is a promoter? One who promotes, of course.

In
this case we are talking about the greats in the entertainment,
media and public relations business. Ah, the lines
continue to get blurred as the new wave of convergent
media hits us.

Who
are these mysterious promoters?

Ok,
starting from the top is the man they call "Harry
M", Harry M. Miller (The Harry M Miller Group).
Then we have Max Markson (Markson Sparks!) Michael
Chugg (Michael Chugg Entertainment), Paul Dainty (Dainty
Consolidated Entertainment), Michael Gudinski (Frontier
Touring Company) and Michael and Kevin Jacobsen (Jacobsen
Entertainment). Ok, we know that there are others
that may feel left out, however, this elite group
has more than cemented their place in the history
of Australian promoting. The waves these guys cause
show little sign of flattening out and their positive
influence in the world of entertainment continues.
These movers "n" shakers are indeed here
for the long haul. As AC/DC said, "It's a long
way to the top", and these moguls won't be taking
a fall any time soon, regardless of what the rumour
mongers may have you believe.

What
makes these promoters so great you ask?

Many
factors. We could speculate indefinitely. Let's take
a look at who they are.

The
Players

Harry
M. Miller - personality management, media management
and marketing. His clients have included Deborah Hutton,
the Rolling Stones, Judy Garland and a cast of Reality
TV personalities and deals.

Max
Markson - personality management, specialising in
the public speaking circuit. Speakers Markson has
managed include Sebastian Coe, Nelson Mandela, Kieran
Perkins, Maggie Tabberer and Bill Clinton. Markson
knows how to sell a story. We can't forget the Natasha
Ryan tale he sold to Nine's 60 Minutes for a reported
$200,000 plus. Markson is said to have his fingers
in the Big Brother pie also.

The
very author of this article is tempted to include
his own company, Media Man Australia, but will hold
back at this point!

All
of the above know how to promote not only their talent,
but also themselves. They have a nose for what the
public will likely respond to.

The
stakes are high in this promoting and public relations
game, where one scoop can net hundreds of thousands
and conversely a slip up could cost the ranch.

What
big, what's in, what's out, what's hot or cold what
angle what's the vibe on the street; these are
all things to consider in this deadly game of promotion
and P.R. Little wonder some of these operations contain
their own crisis management division, for when things
turn sour.

Next
time you ponder how much of your hard earned cash
you have forked out to see your favourite performer,
spare a thought for the promoter who helped make it
a reality, by laying it all on the line, to get your
favourite gig to town.

Some
may say these promoters are little more than master
manipulators, but those in the know, will tell you
that they are smart operators who know all the tricks
of trade; and that only years of trial and error,
enormous risk and incredible judgement can produce
the right outcome for their clients and the public.

Imagine
the logistics involved in promoting a rock band, and
making sure they are at the right place, at the right
time, for the right money, and ensuring the right
insurance measures have been taken into consideration!
Time has shown that these entertainment types sure
know how to whip up a frenzy in a hotel room. Talk
about a recipe for sleepless nights.

Simply
dealing with the egos of some of the top line performers
is enough to make the average man cringe.

It
wasn't many decades ago that elite international performers
baulked at the idea of taking the arduous 23-hour
flight from the U.S to grace our shores. As recently
as last year, once of the greatest showman of all
time, Hulk Hogan, pulled out of the Australian WWE
tour, citing a bad back. Even Vince McMahon, American
master promoter and wrestling puppeteer, apparently
couldn't convince the "Hulkster" to take
the trip. The storyline was that one of his opponents
put his back out, but intelligent Australian fans
saw through the facade. Perhaps there wasn't sufficient
influence by Australian promoters and P.R. men, to
make the "Hulk" deal a reality.

It's
true, professional wrestling aka "sports entertainment",
is in a phylum of its own; however the principles
are consistent across the entertainment spectrum.

These
promoters deserve every cent they earn. Sure, they
do it for themselves of course, but they do it for
you too.

It
hard not to typify Australian promoters as some of
the best in the world.

Perhaps
our geographic remoteness has necessitated that our
entertainment entrepreneurs have extraordinary insight
and acute judgement for what "will fly"
in the land "down under".

Many leading promoters have publicly acknowledged
that the past year has been one of the toughest for
the Australian entertainment and promotions industry.
After the Bali bombing, Australians became concerned
that they were now targets of possible terrorist attacks
and audience numbers at major events dwindled. This
situation was further exacerbated by the SARS epidemic,
which caused health fears around the world, and the
commencement of the Iraqi conflict a few months later
took its toll on box office revenues.

For
example, JEL (Jacobsen Entertainment Limited), Australia's
only ASX-listed entertainment and promotions company,
believes that the past year's difficulties were unprecedented
in the Jacobsens' long history of presenting attraction
with JEL losing $8.5 million on two world-class shows
- the Bruce Springsteen tour and the Witches of Eastwick
- within a short period of time. As a precautionary
measure, the JEL board has appointed administrators
KordaMentha to assist the company to work through
the current period, while protecting the company's
value as restructuring options are developed.

Certainly,
the Jacobsen family are determined that JEL, in which
they own 78 per cent, will continue to operate and
believe the strengthening outlook for the promotions
industry will work in their favour.

ii.
Environment looking brighter

Despite
the severity and length of the recent downturn, the
entertainment industry is cyclical. People want to
be entertained. Most promoters are optimistic about
the long-term outlook and are already seeing signs
of a pick-up in shows and attendances.

*public thank you to those in the entertainment and
media business that made the article and interviews
possible. Greg Tingle

*don't
forget to check our Online
Shop for some great books including books on promoting.

Australian
entertainment promotion firm Jacobsen Entertainment
Limited hope to be out of administration soon, and
expect to announce a restructure on November 21. Director
Michael Jacobsen told CX Web that the firm is working
hard on new shows for 2004, after founder Kevin Jacobsen
returned from a round world trip to shore up support.

The
firm has traded for almost 40 years as a family company,
before floating slightly more than a year ago. No
one could have foreseen what happened, Michael
asserts, detailing the difficult trading conditions
that lead to a voluntary administrator being appointed.

Employing
15 people prior to becoming a public company, JEL
didnt undergo massive expansion, according to
Michael. We had to corporatise, to appoint a
CEO and a CFO. Now some staff have been stood
down, but the firm is trading, with two tours under
way.

The
strengthening of the Australian dollar has assisted,
and trading conditions now are more suitable 
but it still costs about $3 million to stage an average
theatre production. The cost is relative, it
costs 3 million US dollars there, and 3 million pounds
in the UK.

The
Jacobsen family loaned the public company an estimated
$3 million in the months leading up to the appointment
of their administrator, who is able to quarantine
creditors and operate the firm with available resources.

The
message from the Jacobsen family is that they are
on the case, and expect to be back in business very
soon.